By Dawn's Early Light

Lore & Background

A B-52 bomber, Polar Bear 1, commanded by Major Cassidy and co-pilot Captain Moreau, takes off moments before Fairchild Air Force Base is destroyed. The crew proceeds into Russia, fending off Soviet interceptors. Meanwhile, with the President presumed dead, the Secretary of the Interior is sworn in as president (codenamed Condor) aboard Nightwatch. Condor orders the remainder of the attack plan executed. Cassidy and Moreau convince their crew to abort the mission, and a crewman kills himself by ejecting without a parachute. The President, discovered injured, contacts the Soviet leader and they agree to a one-hour standoff. Condor orders fighters to shoot down Polar Bear 1, but the fighters call off their attack when their carrier is sunk. Looking Glass crew decides to ram Nightwatch to prevent launch orders, and Nightwatch pilots sacrifice themselves by crashing into the ocean. The President issues a stand-down message as Cassidy and Moreau fly toward a sunrise, knowing their fuel will not last.

Reader's Guide

By Dawn's Early Light is significant as a Cold War nuclear thriller that aired on HBO in 1990, near the end of the Cold War. It was praised for its fast-moving, complex plot and high production values, using actual military hardware like B-52 bombers and Boeing E-4 aircraft to create a realistic portrayal of Strategic Air Command operations. The film received positive contemporary reviews, with one critic calling it 'the best original movie project HBO has overseen.' It earned James Earl Jones a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor and won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects. The film differs from its source novel in two major ways: the crisis in the novel is started by a deliberate Soviet attack, and the film includes a romantic subplot between Cassidy and Moreau absent in the book. Later reviews described it as 'probably the end of the line for Cold War confrontation on this scale, but compelling drama nonetheless.'

Did You Know?

• Principal photography took place from August 7 to late September 1989.
• James Earl Jones was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for his role as 'Alice'.
• The visual effects team for the film won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects.
• Martin Landau was nominated for the 1991 CableACE Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for his role as the President.